Help! Intermitent script error.

[BlackHole]

Happy New Year Everyone!

I'm using Filemaker 11 Advanced on MacOSX 10.5.8.

My Filemaker solution includes the need store files within the database as well as view them. Primarily JPEG, PDF, and QUICKTIME files. JPEG is easy, just insert as picture. PDF can insert as picture, but then you can only see first page and I need to see all pages. The only way to do this is insert as quicktime, which allows the controller to be used to navigate pages. This method however does not allow storing the file within the database, you can only reference.

The only method I have came across to both store and view these files within a solution involves creating a group of containers to actually store the items in and choosing the "Insert File" option to store. Then using a script I export those stored files and import them back into a separate group of containers to display them.

For example, I store a PDF in one container using "Insert File", it shows the PDF file is there but shows only the icon. So to view that same PDF within the database, I've created another container and direct a script to export file: and import movie:. This way the PDF displays like a quicktime and I can use the playback control to navigate pages. I am not familiar with scripting, but have found the following link ( http://my.advisor.com/doc/19411 ) through some searching and have modified it slightly to work with pdf instead of quicktime by changing the file extensions to pdf instead of mov.

Half the time it works successfully and displays the PDF from my one container as a quicktime in the other display container. A quarter of the time it fails, citing ""movieTemp.pdf" could not be imported. Error:-43." However after clicking OK the PDF then comes into view as if there were no error. The other quarter of the time I get the same error, but after clicking OK the PDF still does not load. When this happens, running the script again usually works without error.

I've also ran the script debugger and can see that the specific error being generated is 709. Which means "Quicktime Movie Import Failed"

Again I'm not familiar with scripting so I'm not sure if this is the best method to do this. It seems to be working sometimes, others not. Is there something I can tweak in my script to make this perform reliably? I really need to store and view these files in the database because I have to deliver these pdf, qt and jpeg files as well as my database to my clients. Inserting as Quicktime only makes a reference to the file and I cannot do that because the links become invalid upon transferring to another system.

I've attached screen captures that shows my errors and you can see my script within the debug window. Please let me know if you have any clue how to correct this issue, if I can get this working smoothly it will be such a huge help!

Thanks in advance,

-BlackHole

[stefwef]

I am not at all familiar with what you're doing, but my initial reaction is that you might want to use a call to the pdf that is external to the filemaker file. This way your file will not become huge and you can open the pdf in acrobat or what not.

I'm guessing this means you need a devoted folder and a naming convention/ a field(s) that holds the or what makes up the filename.

Here's a post that might help:

http://compgroups.net/comp.databases.filemaker/-Open-URL-script-problems

[BlackHole]

I am not at all familiar with what you're doing, but my initial reaction is that you might want to use a call to the pdf that is external to the filemaker file. This way your file will not become huge and you can open the pdf in acrobat or what not.

I'm guessing this means you need a devoted folder and a naming convention/ a field(s) that holds the or what makes up the filename.

Here's a post that might help:

http://compgroups.net/comp.databases.filemaker/-Open-URL-script-problems

Not even close, anyone else?

[comment]

It sounds like a timing issue. Try inserting a short pause between exporting the file and inserting it to the other container.

[stefwef]

In your script, you can also capture errors so they don't display. In this case you can catch the failure to import and set it to try again. If it fails again you can give user an alert that perhaps something is wrong with the file (or what not - if you have IDed what the issue is).

Embedding media is not a good solution if you are expecting a lot of media. Filesize can become an issue.